Letting Her Go
by Lizzie2010
Summary: a mini challenge from the Chitchat forum on JJ's departure.  My thoughts on it.  this is a short one-short.  Please give it a go.  JJ have something to tell Hotch, how will he take it?  not smut...just between two friends.


**A mini-Challenge to our fellow authors..."JJ's Departure" from ilovetvalot and tonnie2001969– Here's my take on how JJ is going to leave CM. We'll miss her!**

**I don't own CM or any of their characters.**

**Oh,** **Calling all CM readers and authors! Join us for our first Profiler's Choice CM Awards on ! Help us choose the best of the best of the CM stories on , and let your voice be heard. Anyone with an account is eligible to nominate. Please check out the nominating ballot and rules at Chit Chat on Author's Forum at .net/topic/74868/30888142/1/.****All****rules and information are on the forum.**

Letting her Go

"A job offer?" Hotch asked.

JJ nodded her head, slightly embarrassed; the look he gave her made her felt as if she was betraying him and the BAU team. But she had to think of the stability of her family. Will had been feeling restless, he wanted to get back to work and Henry was old enough for day care.

And frankly, the last case had wiped her out.

Missing girl, a family heartbroken and the result was not a good one. It was brutal as she was not the first nor second, nor the third. She was the fourth victim.

Thankfully, they caught their UnSub before he went for victim number 5.

That family lost a wonderful daughter; she would never get that chance to experience high school, college, and being in the adult world, marriage, children…the endless cycle of humanity and carrying on your family into the future.

Gone.

Lost.

If only they had figured out who the UnSub was a day ago, they might have saved her.

There she went again, the 'what-ifs', second guessing. How many times each one of the team had wondered about the 'what-ifs'? Hotch was the worst one of the team, how many times had she tell him that they couldn't do that? Too many.

Now, it was hitting her. Hotch knew that. He knew what she was feeling and he tried to talk to her but she managed to brush him off, making excuses about the endless piles of files stacked on her desk.

Until now.

A fresh start for her precious family but the job offer would take her away from the BAU. Was she selfish enough to leave them?

After a couple of days and nights of agonizing thoughts, she finally made her decision.

She knew her other family would be vastly hurt but it couldn't be helped.

She was burned out; she knew that a couple more cases, she'd flipped and might end up like Gideon? Elle?

She did not want to find out, if she did, it would be too late. And she did not want to place herself in that position and who would suffer? Will and Henry.

That was not an option.

Now or never.

"Yeah. I would be moving out of here. Out of Virginia," she eyed Hotch, trying to gauge his feelings on this. Years of working with him and the others in the team had taught her how to read faces.

Years of working with him…_God! She was going to miss him. Miss all of them._

All those years of being with Hotch; the first time she met him, how she had felt when she was accepted by him. He was one tough agent! And she had enjoyed the challenge he put her through.

She remembered how she was always eager to be at work, with the BAU and traveling with the team.

Most of all, being with Hotch.

No, she had never seen Hotch in the sexual sense; no, he was more of her big brother to her. She never had a brother and Hotch was as close. They had always shared that camaraderie that was not felt in other work area. He made her job somewhat fulfilling.

"Out of Virginia? May I ask where? And why?" he was looking darkly. That was never a good sign, JJ thought.

"Hotch, I'm tired," JJ began.

"JJ, you can leave in a bit, but I would like to know why," he asked again.

"No, that's not what I meant. I'm tired of this job and of where it's pulling me. Will wants to go back to work, and he had been so wonderful to stay with Henry the whole time. Henry is growing; he's no longer a baby."

Hotch didn't say anything, waiting for JJ to finish.

JJ sighed a little, "I want to be there for Henry. I've missed a lot of his firsts. First step, first word and all that, and I don't want to anymore. This new job…I'm not required to travel out of town and it's a 9 to 5 job, Monday to Friday. A normal human job."

Hotch wanted to grin; yeah, what we did, that was not normal. She was able to walk away.

She was able to walk away when he couldn't. He had that chance too but he didn't take it. Unlike her, this job was him. Unlike her, he couldn't walk away.

And it was time to let her go.

In his mind, he laughed hard. Let her go…what? She was not his pet, she didn't belong to him, why did he use that phrase? Well, in so many senses, she did belong to him, to the unit, to the team.

And soon, not anymore.

Okay…honestly? The honest feeling? He was jealous of her. Jealous of her family. Will had understood what she was doing. Will had been most supportive of her when she wanted to return to work. She could discuss the cases with Will when she went home. She had someone she could talk to at the end of the day.

He never had that and he was envious of what she had.

_Come on, Aaron! Knock off that pity feeling. Be glad and behappy for her!_

Finally, he nodded, "I understand. And," he paused for a moment but then he continued. "I wish you all the best. You and Will."

Releasing a held breath, she smiled sadly, "Thank you, Hotch. It means a lot to me."

"We'll miss you," he continued. "The team will miss you as you've been such an asset to us that it's going to be difficult to replace you."

"Hotch, sure you can. You know what you want out of a media liaison. I'm not going to have the time to find a replacement, so you'll have to do it. Sorry," she apologized.

"It's going to be…a while. We have so many cases to work on but we'll do our best," he assured her.

She wanted to apologize for leaving the team at this moment but the job offer was now or never.

"Well, I had better do my rounds with the team," he nodded. She held out her hand, "Hotch, it's been a privileged for me to work with you and I'll certainly miss that!"

He grabbed her hand and replied, "The privilege was mine, and I was damn lucky to have you," and shook it but at the last minute, he pulled her in for a hug. JJ began tearing up.

_No…this was not how I wanted to leave, in tears!_

When he straightened away from her, he nodded to the team in the bullpen.

She nodded back and left him, walking towards the bullpen.

_Well, one hurdle met, now…five more to go and it didn't make it anymore easier._

But repeating the mantra; for Henry and Will…for Henry and Will…

.

…..The End…..

.

Gosh, it's still so surreal! Not going to be fun!

But please, review!

Lizzie


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